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She lost her mother and brother when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Damage from the earthquake is still visible in Antakya, Hatay province. Scott McLean/CNNSearch for the missingLast year’s earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey, and thousands more in neighboring Syria. “If I can’t find his body, then I will be waiting for him my whole life.”Smoke billows from the scene of collapsed buildings on February 7, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Persons: Karabas, Sengul, Rukiye, Mehmet, “, ” Karabas, Scott McLean, Guray Ervin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Demir, ”, Sema Gulec, DEMAK, Gulec, Weeks, Batuhan, –, can’t, Burak Kara, Nur, She’s, Khaled Kassar, Kassar, Anwar, Jamal, ” Kassar, Mustafa Kara Ali, Erdogan, Yasin Akgul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, “ Banks Organizations: Southern, Southern Turkey CNN —, CNN, Hatay, Gulec’s, Interior Ministry, CHP, Getty, Development Party Locations: Southern Turkey, Turkey, Syria, Gaziantep province, Islahiye, Antakya, Hatay province, Iskenderun, Hatay, morgues, Syrian, Homs, Gaziantep, Turkish, AFP, Turkey’s, Istanbul, Istanbul’s, Kocaeli

☆ Christians in Turkey Pray for Return to the Ruins of Ancient Antioch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Burcu Karakas and Ceyda CaglayanANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - The Antioch Greek Orthodox Church brought Christians together in Turkey's Antakya for centuries until last year, when an earthquake killed dozens of them and sent hundreds more fleeing. Though it now lies in ruins, many pray it will again bring them back. The deadliest disaster in modern Turkey's history, the quake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and nearly 6,000 in Syria, and left millions homeless. 'PLEASE COME BACK'Some 370 Greek Orthodox families were living in Antakya before the 2023 quake but only 20 remain today, he told Reuters. David Cagan, 53, another member of the local Greek Orthodox community, said it was essential to rebuild the churches.

Persons: Burcu Karakas, Caglayan, Hurigil, Larina Balikcioglu, Antakya, David Cagan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Jonathan Spicer, Gareth Jones Organizations: Church, Orthodox Church Foundation of Antakya, Christian, Hatay Archeology Museum, Antioch Greek, Reuters Locations: Caglayan ANTAKYA, Turkey, Antioch, Antakya, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Ottoman Turks, Hatay, Russian, Hurigil, Mersin province

ISTANBUL (AP) — Millions of people across Turkey on Tuesday will mourn the loss of more than 53,000 friends, loved ones and neighbors in the country's catastrophic earthquake a year ago. To mark what it calls the “Disaster of the Century," the government has arranged a series of events to commemorate the one-year anniversary of disaster in southern Turkey. Hatay, which lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border, was the worst affected of the 11 southern provinces hit by the 7.8 magnitude quake. Including the 6,000 people killed in neighboring Syria, the quake left more than 59,000 dead. He also will take part in handing over completed homes to survivors, and then spend the rest of the week touring other cities in the earthquake zone.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozgur Ozel Organizations: Republican Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Hatay, Ulu, Syrian, Syria, Kahramanmaras, rehouse, Gaziantep

ISTANBUL (AP) — A year ago, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, causing widespread destruction and the loss of over 59,000 lives. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThe disaster led to a massive international rescue and aid operation involving dozens of countries and organizations. The World Bank estimated the damage caused at $34.2 billion in Turkey and $5.1 billion in Syria. The East Anatolian fault system, where the disaster occurred, is near where the Anatolian, Arabian and African tectonic plates come together. The East Anatolian fault had last seen a quake of magnitude 7 or greater in 1822, when at least 10,000 were killed in Syria’s Aleppo.

Persons: Mehmet Ozhaseki, February’s, transgressors, Abby Sewell, Suzan Fraser Organizations: —, Turkey's, Interior Ministry, United Nations, World Bank, Food Program, WFP, Associated Press Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Syria, Turkey’s Kahramanmaras, Idlib, Aleppo, Istanbul, Elazig, Hatay, SYRIA, Brussels, Beirut, Ankara

☆ Two Killed in Police Helicopter Crash in Southern Turkey -Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - A police helicopter crashed in southern Turkey late on Saturday, killing 2 police officers and injuring one, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on social media platform X. The helicopter took off from Hatay airport and was heading to Gaziantep airport, Yerlikaya said, adding that it lost contact at 10:29 p.m. (1949 GMT). The helicopter crashed near Kartal village in Gaziantep's Nurdagi district, Yerlikaya said, without commenting on the cause of the crash. The injured personnel, a technician, is under treatment in hospital, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a statement. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by William Mallard)

Persons: Ali Yerlikaya, Yerlikaya, Fahrettin Koca, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Mallard Organizations: Health Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kartal, Gaziantep's Nurdagi, Israel, Gaza

☆ Turkey Completes New Homes in Area Hit by Devastating Earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey on Saturday handed over keys to newly-completed homes to some of those left homeless after last year's devastating earthquake, one year after the country's deadliest disaster in its modern history. Powerful quakes on Feb. 6, 2023 in southern Turkey killed more than 50,000 people in 11 provinces and left millions homeless. Some 75,000 houses will be delivered over the next two months, Erdogan said, adding that the government planned to deliver a total of 200,000 houses this year. Around 680,000 homes were destroyed in the earthquake region, Urbanisation Minister Mehmet Ozhaseki told reporters on Friday, adding that 390,000 families are registered to receive houses to be built there. After the earthquakes, Erdogan promised 319,000 new homes by February 2024 and a total 680,000 a year later.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Mehmet Ozhaseki, Huseyin Hayatsever, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Saturday Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Hatay, Israel, Gaza

[1/5] A new building for earthquake survivors is under construction in Diyarbakir, Turkey August 26, 2023. With work underway on a fraction of the planned new buildings in the devastated city of Adiyaman, Kaplan fears a long wait together with his disabled wife and other survivors. One senior government official with direct knowledge of the reconstruction plan said the target could be missed, citing insufficient fresh funding to hold new tenders amid rising costs. They both said the effort had taken a blow when fewer companies bid for the reconstruction tenders after a post-election economic policy U-turn in June sent the currency plunging. "Our budget resources have been prepared for this huge, comprehensive project and can be updated when necessary," Erdogan's office said.

Persons: Stringer, Ismet Kaplan, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Kaplan, Bayir, Adiyaman, Turkey's, Mehmet Ozhaseki, Arvid Tuerkner, Mert Arslanalp, Erdogan's, Arslanalp, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Tahir Tellioglu, Tellioglu, Umit, Ezgi Erkoyun, Nevzat Devranoglu, Jonathan Spicer, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, Coordination Council, European Bank for Reconstruction, Erdogan's AK, Istanbul's Bogazici University, TAG, Construction, Thomson Locations: Diyarbakir, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, Adiyaman, Netherlands, Belgium, Syria, Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Ankara

☆ Factbox: Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, heat waves resulted in over 61,600 heat-related fatalities across 35 European countries and triggered devastating wildfires. Below is a list of the most recent blazes and heat-related warnings issued in Europe. **********CROATIAA bushfire near the coastal town of Sibenik quickly spread on July 13, fuelled by strong southerly winds. Emergency services were also dealing with fires on the island of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwest of Athens. RUSSIAIn central Russia's Urals region, in the small village of Shaidurikha near Yekaterinburg, wildfires spread on July 12 and caused significant damage.

Persons: BRGM, Rhodes, El, Dina Kartit, Gaëlle Sheehan, Piotr Lipiński, Alexandra Hudson, Milla Nissi Organizations: Firefighters, Flames, El Pais, Caldera, SWITZERLAND Swiss, Swiss, TURKEY, Directorate of Forestry, Thomson Locations: Europe, Sicily, CROATIA, Sibenik, Grebastica, FRANCE, Nouvelle, Aquitaine, Occitanie, Grand Est, Bouches, Du, Rhone, Corsica, France, GREECE, Corfu, Evia, Athens, Cyprus, Israel, Italy, ITALY, Calabria, Italian, Rome, Lazio, PORTUGAL Mainland Portugal, May, RUSSIA, Russia's, Shaidurikha, Yekaterinburg, SPAIN, La Palma, Spanish, Spain, Bitsch, Valais, Turkey's, Hatay, Mersin, Canakkale, Turkish

☆ Turkey Wants Syrian Refugees to Go Home - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Joshua Levkowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ANTAKYA, Turkey — It was the Syrians who were responsible for the earthquakes. That’s what a Turkish man told Seyfeddin Selim, a refugee from Homs, Syria, who used to sell groceries in Antakya, the capital of Hatay province in southern Turkey. When the earthquakes hit in February, Mr. Selim’s shop was cleared out by looters before he could get there. Turkey is host to the largest number of refugees of any country in the world — and currently about 3.6 million Syrian refugees. For the first few years after the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Turkey’s open-door policy was a source of national pride, and Turkey was lauded for its emergency care.

Persons: Seyfeddin Selim, Selim’s, Selim didn’t, Turkey’s Organizations: Mr Locations: ANTAKYA, Turkey, Turkish, Homs, Syria, Antakya, Hatay

☆ Turkey votes in runoff election after candidates double down on nationalism and fear
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

People walk past an election campaign poster for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 25, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. The country is holding its first presidential runoff election after neither candidate earned more than 50% of the vote in the May 14 election. Still, no candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required to win; and with Erdogan at 49.5% and Kilicdaroglu at 44.7%, a runoff election was set for two weeks after the first vote on May 14. "Kilicdaroglu has adopted a harder line on immigration and security ahead of the run-off … is unlikely to be enough," Kinnear said. Already, though, his anti-refugee rhetoric has angered many of his supporters and prompted resignations from some of his campaign allies.

☆ What the voters say as Turkey votes in landmark elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Deniz Uyar | Oriana Boselli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ISTANBUL/ANTAKYA, Turkey, May 14 (Reuters) - Here are some views from Turkish citizens as their country voted on Sunday in elections that could extend President Tayyip Erdogan's rule into a third decade or see a transfer of power to his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. I don't think it will go to a runoff," said school staff member Hasibe, 40, in the school where Erdogan voted on the Asian side of the city. I chose democracy and I hope that my country chooses democracy. "Of course, there are good things (Erdogan) did, but lately, they started to look down on and insult the nation. As you can see, even in elections, votes are being cast in ballot boxes outside," said school teacher Behzat Oz.

[1/6] Mehmet Ali Fakioglu arrives by bus from Istanbul to Hatay to vote during Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections, in Hatay, Turkey May 14, 2023. But as he prepared to cast his ballot, he voiced criticism of the state's slow response to the disaster in which more than 50,000 people were killed. We were forgotten, all of us, on that day, the second day even on the third day. Critics and earthquake survivors have accused Erdogan's government of both a slow response and lax enforcement of building rules - failures they said cost lives. He said around 1.5 million people had left the quake zone, only a portion of whom had registered new addresses for the purpose of voting.

Reuters interviews with Kar and a dozen other voters in Antakya reflected anger over what some viewed as a slow initial government response to the disaster. The voices are a small snapshot of Antakya and the wider area of southern Turkey hit by the earthquake, a region home to nine million voters and traditionally an Erdogan stronghold. Only 4.3% of voters viewed the quake as Turkey's biggest problem last month, with most more concerned by an economy racked by rampant inflation. Nearby, excavators resound as they demolish some of the 80-90% of buildings estimated to have suffered quake damage. The opposing sides present very different narratives about Erdogan and his government's response to the disaster.

ANTAKYA, Turkey—The Hatay international airport was meant to be a gleaming model for what the government called “the New Turkey,” kicking off one of the biggest building booms of the 21st century. Danger signs were flashing from the start.

Fear that another tragedy could strike forced her to leave Istanbul because she couldn't afford a new apartment there, she said. However, seismologists said the February disaster has not changed the likelihood of an Istanbul quake, with the two areas on different faultlines. Any disaster in Istanbul would stagger Turkey's economy given the broader Marmara region accounts for some 41% of national GDP. Some 1.5 million homes are considered at risk in the city, Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum said this week. According to official data, an average of more than three people live in each household, meaning up to 5 million live in these properties.

☆ Mother and baby reunited in Turkey nearly two months after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, April 3 (Reuters) - A mother has been reunited with her baby in southern Turkey after a DNA test confirmed it was her daughter, almost two months after a devastating earthquake ripped through the region, the country's family ministry said. The minister handed her over to her mother Yasemin Begdas at a hospital in the city of Adana 54 days after the disaster. Earthquake survivor mother Yasemin Begdas reunites with her baby girl Vetin as Derya Yanik, Minister of Family and Social Services, looks on at a hospital in Adana, Turkey March 31, 2023. A DNA test revealed that Yasemin was her mother and the baby was flown back to Adana, where the reunion took place at the hospital treating her. More than 56,000 people were killed by the Feb. 6 earthquake and subsequent tremors, with 50,000 of those in Turkey and the remainder in Syria.

Video footage from a drone flying down a street in Antakya’s Old City, which is covered in rubble and surrounded by collapsed buildings. Called Saray Street by locals, this stretch was once lined with more than 70 shops, restaurants and other businesses. The destruction on Saray Street is a fraction of all that was lost in Old City. Video clip of Saray Street before the quakes, showing stores and patrons during the holiday season. Damaged or destroyed historic or cultural landmark Map showing the boundaries of Old City and labeling cultural landmarks that were damaged or destroyed.

☆ Turkey's quake toll tops 48,000 as govt races to build container cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The combined death toll including those killed in Syria has climbed to more than 54,000. The earthquake and subsequent powerful tremors injured more than 115,000 in Turkey and left millions sheltering in tents or seeking to move to other cities. Soylu said the government plans to set up 115,585 containers for as many families in 239 sites across the affected region. He said 23 sites had been established so far and 21,000 containers were set up, with 85,000 people living in them. Soylu said of the 36,257 buildings that collapsed, the rubble of 5,321 had been cleared, while 6,000 of 18,219 buildings slated for immediate demolition had been knocked down and the resulting rubble cleared.

☆ Turkey's quake toll tops 48,000 as government races to build container cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The destroyed Habib-i Najjar Mosque is pictured in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey February 16, 2023. "What we learn from our elders is that Hatay witnessed seven earthquakes in its history but it was reborn from its ashes. PAINTINGS OF THE SAINTSThe bell tower lies on its side, with clothes placed on top for earthquake victims to take. Among the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquake were Saul Cenudioglu, leader of the Jewish community in Antakya, and his wife, Tuna Cenudioglu. The rabbi said he came to Antakya after the earthquakes to check on the Jewish community and take them to Istanbul.

☆ Turkey earthquake survivors search rubble for their gold savings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reyhan Vural, 48, and her 59-year-old husband Metin survived the devastating Feb. 6 quake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria. "Our everything is in the rubble," Vural said, gesturing at the mound of debris that was her home on a quiet street lined with citrus trees. "We were going to buy a house and the gold for it was in there," she said. They believe in gold," said a contractor clearing rubble and who declined to give his name. Authorities are swiftly clearing the rubble and starting to focus on rebuilding for the millions who lost their homes.

☆ In Turkey's quake-devasted city of Antakya, an antiques seller is determined to stay put
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Close by was a mosaic portrait of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, old magazines and several Turkish flags. "Even before the earthquake, these chairs were outside, I had items outside to show that we run an antique shop ... In one room, a wall collapsed on top of his collection of Turkish antique glassware. A man who has made a living from old things, Sincan said he took a historical view of the earthquake's devastation. Sincan said he was confident the city would rise again.

☆ One month after earthquake, survivors shelter in tents, rubble and trains
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Eftelya Arslan, 7, kisses her father Ahmet Arslan as he cares for his daughter Lara, 11, outside their tent in Orhanli tent city in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey. Ahmet Arslan lost his wife and two other...moreEftelya Arslan, 7, kisses her father Ahmet Arslan as he cares for his daughter Lara, 11, outside their tent in Orhanli tent city in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey. Ahmet Arslan lost his wife and two other children during the earthquake. His daughter Lara, who's physically and mentally impaired, is having a very difficult time coping. "This is no place for her, but if they take her away from us, she's going to be even worse off," Arslan says.

☆ Inside the battle for Bakhmut: Scenes from the frontlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Turkish authorities have been racing to find accommodation for the more than 1.5 million people left homeless after February's huge earthquakes. Survivors have been sheltering in tents, container homes, hotel resorts and even train carriages in Iskenderun, a port city in the province of Hatay, badly hit by the earthquakes.

☆ Turkey annual inflation dips to 55.18% in February
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, March 3 (Reuters) - Turkish annual inflation fell slightly to 55.18% in February, official data showed on Friday, just below forecast, following massive earthquakes that hit its southeast region and killed more than 45,000 people just under a month ago. Month-on-month, consumer prices rose 3.15%, the Turkish Statistical Institute said, lower than a Reuters poll forecast of 3.4%. Annually, consumer price inflation <TRCPIY=ECI> was forecast to be 55.5%. The statistics institute said prices from the field were not collected from the earthquake-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Malatya and Hatay. Inflation has been stoked by a currency crisis at the end of 2021 and hit a 24-year peak of 85.51% in October.

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